Writing a LATEX document is rather like writing a program. This makes
using LATEX more difficult in some respects than using a word
processor, but there are advantages too. For instance creating a table
of contents is trivial. Beginners often use unnecessary
`\\' sequences and write
`{\large \textbf{2.1 Method}}\\' when `\subsection{Method}'
would be much better. Users who think they know more about typesetting than
LATEX (those who, for example, like underlining) will waste a lot of
time too.

If you find you're adding many LATEX constructions you might save
time in the
long run by familiarising yourself with the packages (add-ons)
described in the
packages
section of the online LATEX page. You could even write your own
macros and
add-ons.